What you've told us

Read how your feedback has shaped the way health and care is delivered in Thurrock.

You responded to our consultation in 2016 and again in 2017, you said you wanted:

Better access to health care services:

We have worked with practices to support improved access to primary care. Many of Thurrock’s practices, under the transformation plan for Primary Care (Five Year Forward View), we will now have a variety of healthcare professionals to best meet your needs, including Emergency Care Practitioners, Pharmacists, Physician Associates, Social Prescribers, Advance Medical Practitioners and Physiotherapists. This also forms part of the wider Mid and South Essex Sustainability and Transformation Partnership’s Primary Care Strategy.

Thurrock has set up a Network of eight GP practices within Tilbury and Chadwell. These practices work together to share the resource of the wider professionals, including those listed above and mental health therapists for people with long term health conditions. This will enable you to be seen quicker and by the right person, in your local GP practice. The CCG is working with practices across Thurrock.

The CCG will continue to support these changes and is working with practices across the whole of Thurrock.

Extended Access to GPs – You said you wanted more access to GPs out of hours:

Thurrock CCG has been offering access to out of hours GP and Nurse appointments at its Health Hubs since 2015. This year from 1st April, the Health Hubs have been offering care 7 days a week. This means if you cannot make an appointment during the day, there may be an appointment in the evening, or at the weekend. Visit our Health Hubs page to find out more.

Care closer to home:

You said you didn’t want to travel to visit relatives who were in hospital and you wanted access to care closer to where you live.

Steps taken to achieve this:

In June 2017 the newly refurbished Mayfield Unit at Thurrock Community Hospital opened, offering 28 intermediate care beds (these are beds for people who may need extra support or are having a crisis, or for those coming out of hospital and need more support before they can go home). These beds are closer to Thurrock residents and makes visiting and supporting relatives much easier.

Integrated Medical Centres – There are four centres proposed which will offer access to GPs, Diagnostic facilities, including blood tests, some will offer minor treatments and outpatient clinics. These are expected to be built around 2021.

Mental Health Therapists in GP practices, supporting you at your usual GP practice. Launched in October 2017, with seven therapists across Thurrock.

We provided access to a GP in Orsett Hospital from December 2017 so that the minor injuries unit could also deal with urgent medical issues too preventing the need to go to Basildon to be seen.

You only wanted to tell your story once

Working in partnership:

We worked with health and social care providers to support the launch of Thurrock First, a single point of access where you can be directed to the most appropriate support or service. This number is available 365 days a year 7 days a week. Tell your story once and support will be provided. Call: 01375 511000 from 7am to 7pm.

Health and care professionals are now working together, starting in Tilbury and Chadwell within community and adult social care, we are seeing some exiting developments such as Community Led support, Wellbeing teams and Technology Enabled care, visit; www.bettercaretogetherthurrock.org for more information.